In This Issue

Feb. 1, 2015 • Volume 1, Issue 4 • An unofficial publication of Arkansas Department of Emergency Management

In this issue

CERT leader Flame — not ice — has been winter threat Ragen explains his vision for the It makes sense that home fires that many wildfires are the result of program. increase in winter months, because a fire that had been set, such as a Page 7 many heat sources involve fire. campfire or agricultural burning. It isn’t as intuitive, though, that Putting out a wildfire is sometimes New areas cold, often rainy winter months can an arduous task because they often be among the worst months for wild- occur far from roads. Area coordinator responsibilities fires, but that has been the case in “In Arkansas, we rely on forestry change somewhat. recent weeks as fires dozers, but in order to Page 5 across the state have get a dozer in, you increased in frequency have to have a road. and size. “In the wintertime, the Otherwise, you are Fire Services Coor- humidity is usually much driving a dozer ump- dinator Kendell Snyder teen miles through the said several factors lower. The fuels are dry, woods at 2 miles an combine to heighten and we tend to have hour,” Snyder said. the threat. “We don’t have the “In the summertime winds. All that means we scope of fire crews like and springtime, all the have a fire danger. they have out West. foliage is green. So, we have fewer Exercise Leaves have decom- people to make that posed. Although tem- initial response, and Simulated train derailment peratures are higher, and there just the longer a fire burns, the larger it springs SEOC into action. isn’t as much fuel around for a wild- gets, and so that gets you more of Page 12 fire,” he explained. “In the winter- an area to try to control.” time, the humidity is usually much Snyder contended that many of the lower. Fuels are dry, and we tend to state’s fire departments operate in rural Have an idea to have winds. All that means we have areas and have wildfires as a typical a fire danger.” threat. That, he said, has resulted in improve the Snyder said wildfires start for most of those departments developing many reasons, among them are expertise in fighting them. newsletter? Take lightning and more people in wilder- ness areas for hunting. He noted See FIRE on page 2 our survey here. 2 — ADEM Alert • Feb. 1, 2015 FIRE Wildfire Continued from page 1 prevention tips “It is getting more and Never leave a more common for them campfire unattended. to be buying wildland fire Completely extinguish gear and wildland fire the fire—by dousing it protective gear with state with water and stirring money, and that’s a good the ashes until cold— thing,” he added. before sleeping or Fighting wildfires in the leaving the campsite. state is a multi-agency When camping, proposition. Naturally, the take care when using state Forestry Commis- and fueling lanterns, sion and U.S. Forest stoves, and heaters. Service play integral Make sure lighting roles with staff and and heating devices equipment, including are cool before refuel- aerial resources that not ing. Avoid spilling only provide firefighting flammable liquids and support but also offer store fuel away from command and control appliances. observation from above. Do not discard ciga- National Guard aircraft rettes, matches, and are also available. smoking materials “Our rural departments from moving vehicles. and forestry work well to- Be certain to com- gether. We have houses in pletely extinguish rural areas, and so the cigarettes before dis- local department will often posing of them. go in on the roads to pro- Avoid backyard tect the houses, and for- burning in windy con- estry does most of the ditions, and keep a work cutting a fire line,” shovel, water, and fire Snyder explained. retardant nearby to To mitigate the poten- keep fires in check. tial effects of wildfires, Remove all flamma- emergency managers bles from yard when should try to educate burning. homeowners on ways to reduce fire fuels on their property and understand Wildfire resources wildfire threat conditions and efforts to control Click on these links for more information regarding wildfire prevention and safety tips. fires, such as burn bans, Snyder added. “A lot of these fires are caused by some sort of human action. So, the more we can do to educate the people, the fewer fires we should have.”

ADEM Alert is an unofficial publication of Arkansas Department of Emergency Management Public Affairs.

[email protected] 501.683.6700

Rick Fahr, PIO • Krista Guthrie, Deputy PIO ADEM Alert • Feb. 1, 2015 — 3 Calendar

9 — ATC 20 Post Earthquake Building Inspection February Course in Pope County. General Events 23-25 — Basic PIO in White County. 1 — Deadline to apply for ACEM Testing at Mid- Exercises Year Conference. 18 — ADEM State Emergency Operations Center Exercise. HazMat Training *26—SW Regional TTX (inclement weather sce- 2-5 — HazMat Operations Course in Monroe nario) at AR Department of Health. POC is Chris County. Rowland. 9-20 — HazMat Technician Course in Benton *26—Yell County TTX (explosive device sce- County. nario). POC is Jeff Gilkey. 12-19 — HazMat Awareness Course in Craighead County. Extracurricular 16 — Holiday: George Washington’s Birthday EM Training 2-5 — ICS 300 & 400 in Pulaski County. *Event added after last edition.

Ready for business The State Emergency Opera- tions Center sits ready for acti- vation. The control room houses several dozen stations, allowing event managers, emergency support function representatives and other support staff to operate alongside each other.

Course in Baxter County. ence). March 25-26 — Terrorism Awareness 12 — FEMA P767: Earthquake General Events Course in Faulkner County. Mitigation for Hospitals Course in 10 — ACEM Testing at Mid-Year 28-29 — HazMat Operations Craighead County. Conference in Little Rock. Course in White County. 20 — ATC 20 Post Earthquake 10-11 — Mid-Year Conference in 28-29 — HazMat Operations Building Inspection Course in Little Rock. Course in Carroll County. Pulaski County. 30-31 — Terrorism Awareness 21-22 — ICS 400 in Washington HazMat Training Course in Miller County. County. 3-5 — HazMat Awareness 30-31 — HazMat ICS Course in 23-25 — Mission Specific Plan- Course in St. Francis County. Sebastian County. ning Chief Course in Garland 9-20 — HazMat Technician EM Training County. Course in Pulaski County. 28-29— ICS 300 in Chicot 2-4 — Mission Specific Opera- County. 14 — HazMat Awareness Course tions Chief Course in Benton in White County. County. Exercises 14 — HazMat Operations Course 7-8 — ICS 300 in Washington 5 — March Madness EMAC Ex- in Searcy County. County. ercise at ADEM. POC is Carol 17-21 — HazMat Operations 9 — G358 Evacuation & Re- Walton. Course in St. Francis County. Entry Planning Course in Little 21 — ADEM State Emergency 19-21 — HazMat Awareness Rock (during Mid-Year Confer- Operations Center Exercise. 4 — ADEM Alert • Feb. 1, 2015 Around Arkansas A business sponsor can have a quake Advisory Council, attendees Program to help logo printed on the drawstring bags. learned of recent events and wel- Law enforcement agencies (LEA) comed the 2015 National Earthquake comfort children can apply for many LEA-specific Program Manager, Katie Belknap of grants that can be used for this pro- ADEM. REACH-A-Child is a non-profit gram. Among recent seismic activity, a organization that equips all first- Foundations that help children at rare “frost” quake was recorded in responders with a sturdy backpack risk have been known to cover the Faulkner County. A “frost” quake is containing books for children with the costs, and in Wisconsin the regional one resulting from extremely cold intent that these be used to distract AAA auto club office is supplying ground releasing pressure. children from the situation they are every State Trooper with a backpack. A Kansas tremor was felt in Little in. Anyone interested in using this pro- Rock and Memphis. Also, recently The results are heartwarming and gram locally may email Carole Klopp, found sand blows on Crowley’s effective — reducing the impact of the Executive Director, of the REACH Ridge have researchers trying to PTSD on the children and the first- -A-Child organization. determine if they are the result of responder. Every backpack contains long-ago earthquakes or more recent 10 books (ranges from ages 2-12) activity. and 10 drawstring bags to give to the Belknap to lead Attendees identified several needs, children, and 10 more of each are including better resources for citi- included as a ‘refill’. The cost of earthquake group zens, a mass shelter and feeding these bags is $150 each (plus ship- plan, mandated earthquake drills and ping) but there are several options for JONESBORO — At January’s more information on dams and lev- funding. meeting of the Governor’s Earth- ees that may be at risk. Memory Robert McClanahan, Vice President of Information Tech- nology for Arkansas Electric Cooperative Corp., snaps a picture of a picture of a train derailment near Pine Bluff. The picture is of particular interest to McClanahan because of a familial tie. McClanahan was among a group of cooperative officials who toured the ADEM facility in January.

+ + = Follow ADEM on social media for real-time news and information! ADEM Alert • Feb. 1, 2015 — 5 Changes made to area divisions

The ADEM Area Coordination map was updated to Highway 65 from Conway allows the Central Area Co- improve coordination and response efforts in the North- ordinator to have direct access to these local jurisdic- ern part of the state. tions. 6 — ADEM Alert • Feb. 1, 2015 Disaster Management New public assistance guidelines set The State Public Assistance Program Guidelines have disaster will be limited to 35 percent of the eligible dam- been updated for 2015. ages assessed in the State Project Worksheet form for Key updates to the guidelines include: each eligible site/project. Under the State Public Assis- All eligible damages must equal or exceed the annual tance Program, the maximum amount allowed per appli- Consumer Price Index (CPI) adjustment of the county- cant is $500,000 annually. wide per capita impact indicator ($3.56 per capita) as Emergency Work, or Categories A & B, must be com- used under the FEMA Public Assistance Program. pleted within 6 months of the Governor’s designation of a This per capita indicator will be adjusted to reflect the disaster area (Governor’s Proclamation). annual change in the CPI for all urban consumers by the Permanent work or Categories C-G must be com- department of labor. pleted within 12 months of the Governor’s designation of The total damages (actual costs) for each jurisdiction a disaster area (Governor’s Proclamation). within a county requesting assistance must equal or ex- All documentation shall be submitted within 90 days of ceed $15,000. completion of all work (including approved time exten- The eligible damages per site must equal or exceed sions). $3,000. Contact the ADEM Recovery Branch, (501) 683-6700 The State Public Assistance cost share for a state or email, with any questions. FEMA announces state’s 2014 receipts DENTON, Texas — The Fed- all Arkansans affected by disas- eral Emergency Management ter appreciate the partnership Agency (FEMA) provided more we have with FEMA,” said than $47 million in 2014 funding ADEM Director David Maxell. to the Arkansas Department of “This relationship allows govern- Emergency Management mental entities and individuals to (ADEM) and community part- better protect themselves before ners for disaster recovery, miti- an emergency and then begin gation and preparedness. down the road to recovery if a “FEMA, in partnership with disaster occurs.” ADEM, continues to provide The 2014 federal funding cov- funding to assist communities ered numerous projects in Ar- recovering from and mitigating kansas including: against future damage,” said • More than $7 million to FEMA Region 6 Administrator individuals for rental and lodging Tony Robinson. “We are commit- expenses, home repair, and ted to helping Arkansas residents replacement for those who suf- strengthen their resilience.” fered damage during the April The $47 million includes more severe storms, tornadoes, and than $7 million from FEMA’s flooding. Individual Assistance program, • Over $3 million was used Learning the process $23 million in Public Assistance to either replace or repair Jennifer Oakley, Pre-Disaster Mitigation dollars for repair and replace- bridges and low water crossings Grant Coordinator, poses with a handout ment of infrastructure after a destroyed or substantially dam- during EMAC Personnel Accountability and disaster, $6 million in Hazard aged during the declared Processing Package (EPAPP) training. Mitigation, and more than $11 events. EPAPP is the behind-the-scenes process million in Preparedness funding • $2.2 million was provided that facilitates deployments under the Emergency Management Assistance Com- to mitigate damage from future for school safe rooms through- pact (EMAC). disasters. out the state increasing the ca- “We at Arkansas Department pacity to protect students, fac- of Emergency Management and ulty/staff and residents. ADEM Alert • Feb. 1, 2015 — 7 Emergency Management Performance Grant (EMPG) Exercise requirements explained Each person receiving EMPG ing on the sign-in roster and the com- [email protected] funding for salary, benefits or other pletion and submission of the AAR/IP ADEM will allow up to 10 people expenditures must conduct one exer- for the exercise within 90 days of the from local jurisdictions to participate cise in their jurisdiction and partici- date of the exercise. in the monthly SEOC exercises. This pate in two exercises for a minimum The sign-in roster is available on will be on a first-come, first-served of 3 exercises within the grant period the ADEM website. Exercise notifica- basis. of Oct. 1, 2014-Sept. 30, 2015. tion forms, after-action review forms An SEOC exercise can only be Participation will depend on the and sign-in rosters must be emailed used for participation credit once per individual’s name and signature be- to the exercise section at exer- grant year. Frequently asked questions regarding exercises Q. Can two or more coun- funding for salary, benefits, Q. If the hospital exercise is Q. Are Exercise Notification ties go together and con- or other expenditures must being held in our county forms required to be sub- duct an exercise as a joint conduct 1 exercise in their can we count it as our one mitted to ADEM in order for effort but the exercise is jurisdiction and participate exercise that we put on in the exercise to count and only physically held in one in 2 exercises for a mini- order to meet the new re- the AAR to be accepted location, will each county mum of 3 exercises within quirements for EMPG this and counted? get credit as “their own” the grant period of Oct. 1, year? exercise based on them 2014-Sept. 30, 2015.” Only A. They are required per writing an after-action re- the jurisdiction the exercise A. Yes with the following 3 EMPG program papers view (AAR) and inclusion of is physically held in will get requirements: all respond- section 4 states “Exercise an Improvement Plan? credit for the exercise in ers participate, an AAR notification forms, AAR, their jurisdiction. The others including the first- and sign-in rosters must be A. Per EMPG program pa- will receive participation responder portions is com- emailed to the Exercise pers section 4 states “Each credit which can count to- pleted and a sign in sheet section at exer- person receiving EMPG ward the two exercises. is submitted. [email protected]”.

CERT leader Gary Ragen is new Grants Program Man- ager at ADEM, and he is excited about be- coming the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) manager for the state. He brings more than 30 years of experience gained from local emergency management and response operations to the position. Watch an interview here with Gary in which he talks about his plans for CERT. 8 — ADEM Alert • Feb. 1, 2015 Learn about rabies before a case exists

The last three years have had a rabies vaccination at least one month head removal must wear protective large increase in number of animal prior to being released. However, it is gear so there is no potential expo- rabies cases and since OEM’s may recommended to be given immedi- sure to rabies. be asked for information or help, here ately for preventive benefit. What should local emergency are some tips that OEM’s need to If a dog or cat bites a person, a 10- managers do if asked about an know. day quarantine is required. If the ani- animal bite to a person? In Arkansas, rabies lives in the mal was current on the rabies vac- Find out where the animal that did wild in skunks and bats. In the past, cine, no booster needs to be given the biting is and have it confined. If it all domestic animals with rabies and the dog/cat is released. If the has been killed keep the body, or at (dogs, cats, horses and livestock) animal was not current, it must be least the head, chilled. have gotten it from skunks, rather vaccinated by a veterinarian Call the local health unit and report than bats. So, officials look before being released. the incident to the Environmental at skunks as Animal submis- Health Specialist. being Tell everyone the big- involved to gest risk NOT for our shoot domestic the animals. Fortunately, the raccoon variant of rabies is not present in Ar- kansas. Any bat bite or contact in people ani- should be taken very seriously. mal in the head or in State law requires all dogs and sion any way damage the brain. cats over four months of age be vac- for rabies is What should local emergency cinated against rabies by a licensed done through local health manager do if asked about a wild veterinarian and these vaccines work units in each county. Specimens animal with unusual behavior (ex. very, very well. The over-the-counter must go in a ‘rabies bucket’ that is a skunk out during the daytime) or vaccines purchased at feed and farm available free at every having contact with people or do- supply stores and given by the owner county health mestic animals? are not acceptable. unit. Unless Try to have the wild animal either The state Department of Health is the animal killed or confined in some way, the primary agency that imposes is safely. Do NOT shoot it in the head. quarantines. Animal control officers smaller Keep the body chilled. Call the local and law enforcement officers assist than health unit and report the incident to with this in their jurisdictions. All your the Environmental Health Specialist. the animal rabies positives are hand, If it is a bat or skunk, we would investigated by the health depart- the want the animal submitted for rabies ment’s Zoonotic Section, and head testing, especially if there has been determination made as to expo- must contact with a person. sures to people as well as do- be re- The state Health Department web- mestic animals. moved site has materials about rabies. If a domestic animal is ex- before The site has maps going back to posed to a known rabid ani- submis- 1990, as well as the current map that is mal, AR state law has some sion. updated with each new case. The site quarantine requirements. If Veteri- also includes legal information, such as current on rabies vacci- narians the Rabies Control Act, rules and regu- nation, it receives an and/or lations, as well as information for medi- immediate rabies animal cal professionals and the public. booster and a 45 day control quarantine. If NOT officers Information provided by Susan current on rabies will re- Weinstein, DVM, MPH vaccination, move State Public Health Veterinarian there is a six heads. Arkansas Department of Health month quarantine Whoever [email protected] and it must receive a does the (501) 280-4136 ADEM Alert • Feb. 1, 2015 — 9 Jonesboro, Craighead join Smart911

JONESBORO — One of the and your family to 911 before an state’s most populous counties has emergency happens. Your informa- joined the Smart911 community. tion is stored in secure facilities and In a recent presentation, Jeff L. is only made available to our 911 Presley, Director of the Emergency operators when you make an emer- 911 Communications Center for Kerri King, Emergency Operations gency call from a phone tied to your Jonesboro and Craighead County, Planning Manager agreed. Safety Profile.” discussed the union of area family “Our 911 Emergency Call opera- The Jonesboro/Craighead county safety and the latest communications tion is a very personal mission for Police and Fire departments, as well technology innovations employed by each of us carrying the responsibility as Emergency Medical Transport the 911 Call Center operations. of saving lives and limiting damage companies endorse this system and “Due to much of the new technol- for our Jonesboro and Craighead are urging citizens to get online and ogy advancement in sophisticated county families,” she said. “Nothing create their own free Smart911 pro- communications equipment and spe- affects our 911 call operators more file. cialty software integrated into our personally than receiving a panicked Linda Gann, Emergency 911 Dis- system, we have added a new di- call for help and the distraught caller patcher encouraged residents to fill mension in our ability to serve our not being able to speak coherently to out their profile. community,” he said. “This equates pass on valuable location and type of “We look at our community as an to faster more efficient direct access event information. Now, with the ad- extension of our own family and we and management of emergency dition of the new care immensely,” she said. “We need event data for first responders at a www.SMART911.com integrated into everyone to join scene with specific personal life sav- our system, we provide you, as a www.SMART911.com and create ing information in a shorter time- citizen, the ability to proactively pro- their free family profile before an frame.” vide important details about yourself emergency happens.” Social media is a need, not a fad The top benefits to having a already made large impacts social media platform are in- here in Arkansas. Tips to grow your audience creases in exposure, website There are several groups (with Define your Brand, Create your Personality traffic and partnerships. As you memberships from 100-12,000) The first step is to decide who you are, what know, managing a disaster focused on the Mayflower and your brand ethos is, what your voice will be, works best when the public is Vilonia tornadoes and many of and what types of content you'd like to publish. informed. These days studies these efforts began the same are showing that social media day of the disaster. is fast replacing press re- People coordinated to find Get Talked About, Stay Relevant leases. Information released friends, family and pets. They Get noticed, make a splash and use every so- from an organization’s Face- used Facebook to address cial media channel that is appropriate for your book page or Twitter feed goes donation needs and find volun- brand to stay relevant. Keep the conversations directly to followers (both me- teer information. Smaller inci- going on each channel, as consistency is key. dia and citizens). This is per- dents can benefit from social haps the most valuable part of media just as much. Promote with a Perfect Picture social media for government Building a social media pres- Grab the attention, stir the imagination and use organizations. ence before a disaster will al- unique strategies whenever you can. It has Traditional communication low for faster communication been said that social media and visual technol- with the public required the with your audience during an ogy has put the power back into the hands of media outlets as middlemen event. brands (versus the established media) and, if and that gave them the ability Giving out tips and prepared- harnessed well, it can certainly do wonders for to alter the original message. ness information will allow the your brand awareness. Social media allows govern- public to respond more appro- ment representatives to send priately during an event. Manage your Message their message directly to the Traditional media will only When it comes to getting your message across citizenry and in most cases the carry some of these messages on various social media sites and apps, one media will still pick up that or will only carry them in parts. size does not fit all. Using the same marketing message and echo it word-for- Social media on the other hand method or content for multiple media networks word with shares and re- allows you to send out informa- may be the quickest method but, in most tweets. Facebook pages have tion when and how you want. cases, it is often the least effective. 10 — ADEM Alert • Feb. 1, 2015 Federal Surplus Property

Among the items available at Fed- eral Surplus Property: Kovatch Renegade MFD fire truck, 1997, 1250 GPM 4x2, 3,181 miles, 1,963 hours engine, 406 hours pump, $26,500; rolling red tool cabinet (w/tools) $175 each; sandbags 1,000 bags/ bundle $12.50/bundle. To view more items, visit the FSP newsletter here. ADEM Alert • Feb. 1, 2015 — 11 Public Affairs How’s the view from the podium? By Rick Fahr involves (or should involve) regular times to yourself. public speaking. It’s imperative for Don’t read to the audience. There ADEM PIO emergency managers to spread their is little more boring than someone Anybody who’s ever heard me messages of preparedness and miti- reading word for word, stopping speak knows two things. gation far and wide. every few seconds to look at the au- One, I’m not from New Jersey. We need to take every opportunity dience. Focus instead on your impor- Two, I sound like a hick from Bump- we can to tant points and a kinville. share thought or two on Listen closely, and you’ll pick up on informa- each. Let the rest something else. I stutter. It manifests tion, and of your talk come itself in a couple ways. Sometimes, I that will naturally. repeat a word. Other times, I can’t occasion- Keep the proper say a word and have to try to substi- ally ne- tone. If you’re talk- tute another. The more nervous I am, cessitate ing about serious the more I stutter. No way around it. a subject matter, But, I enjoy speaking to groups — “speech”. don’t make off-the- students, members of civic clubs, I put cuff remarks, but church groups, even TV audiences. that word when appropriate, To be sure, not all of my state- in quota- there is nothing ments are great orations. My mind tion wrong with a bit of and mouth don’t always agree. But marks levity. But that joke it’s not because I dislike public because I don’t like to “give a you heard a few years ago? Leave it speaking. speech”. I much prefer talking with in the closet. I’m probably in the minority on that. people, and sometimes those con- You don’t know what you don’t Lots of people have a true fear of versations occur in a group setting. know. There is nothing wrong with talking in front of large groups of peo- If you have the chance — or re- saying “I don’t know” if someone ple. There are plenty of reasons sponsibility — to share information asks you a question that you don’t that’s the case, and some of those verbally in front of a group of people, have the answer to. The audience reasons make perfect sense. Often, including media folks, remember a will better respect an honest answer though, the fear is an unfounded few things to make your talk more than one that tap-dances around the sense of potential embarrassment. effective (and less painful for you). subject. Truth is, we all know how difficult it Prepare. Know your material. The Hold to the allotted time. If the is to talk in front of people. We can more knowledgeable you are about civic group ends its meeting at empathize with the speaker who what you are saying, the more com- straight-up 1 p.m., don’t run past that loses his notes or who mispro- fortable you will be delivering the time. Use as much time as you need, nounces a word. message, especially if you take ques- but don’t drone on and on with details We’ve been there. tions from the audience. If you have that the audience doesn’t need and For many of us, part of our work time, practice your talk a couple likely won’t remember anyway. ADEM Alert user’s guide Content These hyperlinks will include links to photo galleries, video interviews, more information about a given subject Each month’s newsletter will contain information about and/or other types of multimedia content. ADEM personnel, programs and activities; news from Many smartphone operating systems are not set up to coordinators around the state; and updates on legislative, properly follow hyperlinks. Therefore, this newsletter is policy and other important matters. best viewed on a desktop, laptop or tablet device. Hyperlinks Submissions Throughout each issue, embedded “hyperlinks” will To submit information to ADEM public affairs or re- allow users to click on an image, graphic or blue text to quest public affairs support, call 501-683-6700 or email view additional information on an external website, such [email protected]. as Facebook or www.ready.arkansas.gov. 12 — ADEM Alert • Feb. 1, 2015

Cenita Wilford, Administrative Specialist at Fed- eral Surplus Property, helps out as telephone support in the public information office during January’s exercise as Deputy Public Information Officer Krista Guthrie looks on. Administrative Specialist Ross Schultz compiles data in the back- ground with the help of Katherine Benenati of the state Department of Environmental Quality. Exercise: Derailment disaster A simulated train derailment in Pope County, and a subsequent explosion that killed nearly two dozen firefighters, put ADEM emergency managers through their paces in January. Among the response tasks were containing hazardous materials, evacuating affected areas and setting up shelters.

Participants in the exercise included (clockwise from top) Executive Officer Larry Pullon, Recovery Branch Manager Jodi Lee, Individual Assistance Offi- cer Pam Burton and Federal Surplus Property Property Agent Brandi Roe.